Istanbul Terror Attack Suicide Bombings, 41 Killed

Here's what you need to know.

Three heavily armed assailants carried out an attack at Istanbul Ataturk Airport in Turkey yesterday, killing at least 41 people and injuring over 200 more.

The attackers are reported to have been carrying assault rifles, and Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said they likely first opened fire adding to the death toll before detonating bombs on their bodies. Witness Paul Roos told Reuters that one of militants opened fire at random as he walked through the terminal.

“He was just firing at anyone coming in front of him. He was wearing all black. His face was not masked. I was 50 meters away from him,” he said. “We ducked behind a counter but I stood up and watched him. Two explosions went off shortly after one another. By that time he had stopped shooting.”

While there has been no claim for responsibility, U.S. officials have told CNN that the early thought is that this was ISIS or an ISIS-inspired group. However, the investigation is ongoing. Prime Minister Yidirim agreed that preliminary findings point to ISIS. He added that the attack shows once again that terrorism is a global threat, and that the incident "targeted innocent people.”

If you missed the events as they unfolded yesterday evening, here's what you need to know:

WHERE

Ataturk Airport is the 11th busiest airport in the world and the third busiest in Europe after London's Heathrow and Paris's Charles de Gaulle. It is located in Istanbul, and this attack is the fourth Turkey’s biggest city has sustained this year. Two of these deadly bombings were blamed on ISIS. In January, [at least 10 were killed] (http://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-blast-idUSKCN0UQ0UJ20160113) by a Syrian bomber in a tourist area, most of whom were German travelers; and in March, a suicide bomber killed 4 in a busy shopping area.

HOW

The people responsible for the attack yesterday reportedly caught a taxi to the airport before carrying out their deadly mission at the international terminal. The Guardianreports that they did not make it past security, who, along with police officers, immediately intervened.

One attacker began shooting in the departures hall using an AK-47 rifle as passengers dove for cover and attempted escape. Police tried to stop the militants by firing shots, but the two gunmen inside the airport detonated their explosives. A third gunman was reported to have blown himself up in the parking lot outside. The Turkish media has reported the [possibility of a fourth militant] (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3664710/Two-explosions-gunfire-Istanbul-s-Ataturk-airport-cause-multiple-injuries.html) who has escaped, but that has not been confirmed.

WHY

This is the latest in a series of incidents since Turkey joined the [war against ISIS] (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/istanbul-airport-attack-the-ataturk-bombing-is-the-latest-in-a-series-of-incidents-since-turkey-a7108346.html). The country is located at the heart of the conflict, and shares a border with Syria and Iraq where ISIS is mainly concentrated. Turkey now allows coalition planes to fly raids on ISIS targets along the country's border.

Turkey is no stranger to the devastation of terrorism, and ISIS is not the nation’s only threat. It is also battling rebel movements to overthrow the government by Kurdish militants, the PKK, also known as the Kurdish Workers’ Party. But there are strong indications that this act was carried out by ISIS or sympathizers of the group. Two U.S. counterterrorism officials familiar with the ongoing investigation, told Reuters, that the characteristics of the attack in terms of target and method were similar to those of the Brussels attack at an airport in March.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the use of suicide bombers, weapons, and explosions against "soft" targets was more typical of ISIS strategy. A “soft” target, according to [an explanation provided by CNBC] (http://www.cnbc.com/2015/11/20/how-to-derail-an-attack-on-a-soft-target-experts.html), is one that is easy for a terrorist to strike, and nearly impossible for well-meaning businesses and individuals to defend. ISIS has not officially claimed responsibility, but an official told Reuters that that is not unusual. Although the terrorist group has recently stepped up attacks in Turkey, it rarely claims responsibility because Turkey remains one of the main channels for its members traveling from Europe to Syria and Iraq.

As for the victims of the attack, The New York Times reports that they came from every walk of life. They were airport employees, vacationers, taxi drivers, and more — but due to this senseless act of terror, their lives were lost or forever altered.